Call of the Ether
by FablehavenFunLovin
Summary: When a mysterious ship crashes on the Berk shoreline carrying something Vikings have never faced, Hiccup and Toothless embark on a quest to discover more in a strange new land. What they end up finding unravels ancient dragon lore and the origins of the Night Fury.


**Hey everyone! Fable is BACK with this new crossover fic. I'm super excited to post this first chapter. This crosses dragons (duh) and my new FAVORITE book series, Summoner by Taran Matharu. I highly recommend, but, you don't need to necessarily know the books to follow along with this fic (it mostly follows Hiccup and Toothless anyway post HTTYD2). Please enjoy, and be sure to favorite follow and review!**

 **Chapter 1: On Our Shores**

Hiccup threw open the front door to his home, hinges raddling against the frame. He yawed, eyes droopy, his feet dragging against the paneling of the floor. His boot plopped against the wood and his metal prosthetic scraped roughly. Toothless was not far behind, head lowered and chest grumbling, eyes barely open. Hiccup closed the door behind him with a swirl in the late night air and shrugged off his rough bear-skin coat, hanging it against the wall. He breathed in the warm scent of the fire greedily.

There was a loving glint in his tired eyes as his wife appeared in front of him, hands on her hips. "Woah," Astrid said, brushing a stray piece of red-brown hair from his eyes. "Long day of chiefing?"

The chief guffawed and planted a tender kiss on her cheek before sauntering past her and taking a seat at the table, sighing deeply. Toothless was already curled up by the fire, dozing lightly. Hiccup rubbed his temples. "I'd rather not talk about work, Astrid. How was your day?"

She took a seat across from him, smiling. "Can't really complain. I held the dragon A Team meeting this morning, helped with some combat training. Then I spend the rest of the day being one of those weird domestic housewives," she said, crinkling her nose. "I patched some of your old flight suits, went to the market, stocked up the fish reserves for Toothless and Stormfly, and there's some mutton stew waiting for you if you're hungry."

Hiccup smiled dreamily. "Domestic housewife looks good on you."

His wife blushed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, well don't get too used to it, Hiccup."

"I'll be sure to not to," he said, grinning widely. He twirled his finger absentmindedly on the table. "Speaking that you're approved by the counsel."

Her blue eyes widened and she slammed her hands down on the table. "You mean…"

He chuckled. "Yes, Astrid. It means you're the first Viking woman to ever be Head of Armories and Advisor to the Chief."

Her face broke out into a wide smile and she lurched across the table to take his upper body into her arms, peppering his face with kisses. "My Gods, this is amazing!"

He chuckled, lacing her flowing blonde hair through his fingers. "You more than deserve it, Astrid."

She giggled, pulling the rest of her body across the table and settling into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm still happy."

"As you should be, milady. It's a true honor," he said. "But there is one pretty big condition."

Her mouth hardened into a line. "Alright, let's hear it."

Hiccup sighed. "You can only serve until the birth of our first child. Then, he or she must be our number one priority."

Astrid scoffed. "I figured. But I guess that's better than not serving at all."

Hiccup turned his head, kissing her arm tenderly. "True, but I'll see what I can do. Doesn't seem fair that I don't lose my job too."

She cocked an eyebrow. "But you're the chief."

"You are just as important for Berk."

She smiled, leaning against his chest in the comfortable silence as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She savored every second she could spend with her husband, often sick of having to share him with the rest of the village. She supported him in everything he did, but sometimes the long trips or days-long peace negations left her heart aching more than she would care to admit. She spent the majority of night alone in their bed, but being married to her lifelong love was more than worth it. He just happened to be the chief. But with her new position, she looked forward to seeing a lot more of him.

She looked up at him, his eyes closed gently and a smile playing on his lips. She nuzzled into his neck. "Hiccup, I was actually meaning to ask you something."

"Hm?" he mumbled in return.

"Why don't you wear your flight suits anymore?"

His eyes shot open, and he glanced at the floor. His mouth was opening to respond, but a rough knock on the door made the pair jump. Hiccup groaned, all of his muscles involuntarily clenching at once. He forced his arms away from his wife as he stood up. Even Toothless grumbled, turning away from the sound and covering his head with a wing.

The knocking continued, this time with a lot more force. Hiccup narrowed his eyes. "Coming!"

He swung the door open. It was Sven, pale as a sheet with clammy sweat dripping from his brow. He was panting roughly.

Hiccup's mouth hardened into a line, wondering what the twins had set on fire this time. He crossed his arms. "What is so important that it can't wait until tomorrow?"

"Chief, you know I hate to bother you at this late hour," he said, eyes darting along the ground. "But some of the men and I found something washed up on the southern beach by my fields. A shipwreck."

Astrid found his way next to her husband. "Ships wreck along those rocks all the time. We can check it out in the morning."

Sven shook his head roughly. "This is different, chief. A body has washed up as well."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "One of ours? Berserkers?"

Again Sven shook his head. "No no, not a person, but a…" he paused, "some kind of creature."

Hiccup was grabbing his heavy jacket, nudging Toothless with his foot. "Up, bud. We'll make this quick, I promise. Was it some kind of dragon, Sven?"

"Not a dragon," he said. "It looks like some kind of bear if you ask me."

Hiccup and Astrid shared an uncomfortable look. "Let's have a look at it then."

The pair mounted Toothless, the exhausted Night Fury launching into the frigid air with all the strength he had left and made for the beaches. Astrid wrapped her arms around his waist, squinting against the wind. It wasn't long before the speeding dragon banked around the last large rocky mountain.

"There," she said, pointing down along the coastline. A group of men holding torches with their dragons surrounded the scattered wood pieces of a boat. In the middle of everything, half buried in sand, was a mountain of fur fluttering eerily in the sea breeze. Hiccup shuttered.

"What do you think that is?" Hiccup said.

Astrid shrugged. "No clue. Could have been a fur trading boat that got lost."

"That's wishful thinking, Astrid," he grumbled. Toothless growled under his saddle. "Because that's unlike any fur I've ever seen."

They landed roughly against the sand, Toothless' legs almost buckling under the impact. Astrid jumped off, rushing over to the men. Hiccup sighed, sliding off his saddle. Toothless looked at him lovingly through sleep-glazed eyes. Hiccup offered a comforting smile, rubbing along his head gently. "Don't worry, bud. We'll be home soon."

Curling himself tighter in his coat, he wandered over to the group. Astrid was already talking to one of them, the man pointing wildly out to the horizon and then pointing a shaking finger in the direction of the ball of fur.

Astrid turned to him as he approached. "He said he has no idea where the boat came from, just that it had crash landed. Didn't even try to stop. Parts of the boat are here on the beach, but the main hull is over near those sea stacks. As for that animal, they think it is still breathing, but no one has gotten close."

Hiccup nodded. "We have to see what we are dealing with here. You guys, take your dragons out to survey the rest of the ship. Look for survivors and anything that can help us figure out who these people are. Astrid, you're with me. We'll stay here and check out the debris." He gave the animal a quick glance. "But be careful."

The man nodded. "Aye, chief." He turned and hopped onto his Gronkle, the large bumblebee dragon taking buzzing flight over the lapping waves. A few other men followed on their dragons.

Hiccup turned towards the animal. "Toothless, cover me. Astrid, behind me. I don't want to scare this thing."

"Hiccup, be careful," Astrid called. There was a hint of worry in her otherwise steady voice.

He looked back at her, soothing her with a smile. "I will be, my love."

He turned back around, creeping towards the animal with outstretched arms. He tried to imagine that his body was lighter, willing his footsteps to be as shallow as possible. As he inched closer, he heard the beast's rough labored breathing.

"Hey there, big guy," he cooed. "We're here to help."

The animal stirred and Hiccup's hand flew to the flaming sword at his waist. His heart beat quickened and his hand shook over the handle.

A huge head unrolled from the furry mass, blood pouring out from its neck and soaking the sand. Its sharp pointed ears looked more like those of a wolf, but its body was bigger than a bear. It released a paw, claws the size of small bananas dug into the surf as it turned to meet Hiccup's gaze. The animal wined in pain, its miserable booming unlike anything Hiccup had ever heard.

Then he met its eyes. His breath caught in his throat, his white knuckles gripping his weapon. The deep piercing black eyes bore into him and reflected the soul of an intelligent thoughtful creature asking for help. Hiccup relaxed slightly.

The beast stirred again, tossing its mighty head again in the sand. It glanced back up at Hiccup and the Viking gasped, stumbling backwards. It had opened a second pair of eyes, right behind the first two.

"Hiccup!" Astrid called to him.

He held a hand up, sensing that Toothless had prepped a plasma blast. "Hold, Toothless!"

Something changed. The animal had staggered to its feet with blood puddling in it matted fur, its pupils narrowing to thin slits. It shook the sand of its body, standing taller than Toothless and with more fibrous muscle than any dragon. It snarled down at Hiccup, bearing huge white teeth.

His breathing was ragged, drawing his sword and alighting it in flame. In the light, the creature looked even more menacing. Gone was the soul behind its four eyes. Instead it was replaced by the carnal desire to hunt.

Before Hiccup could think of a next move, the creature was glowing. A bright purple light too blinding to look at rippled across its body starting at its core and expanding outward to encompass each strand of its fur. Hiccup shielded his eyes with his coat, the light still burning through the furs and his eyelids.

And then, like it had never existed, the creature vanished, leaving nothing behind. The blood stains and claw marks in the sand had disappeared. Hiccup scrambled to his feet, eyes darting along the ground before traveling up to the hills surrounding the beach, looking for the animal. But it was gone. "What in the name of Thor…"

A voice bellowed over the waves. "Chief! We've got a body!"

00000000000000000000000000000

"Mom, have you ever heard of anything like this?" Hiccup asked, placing his flat palms against a table in the Great Hall.

Valka grit her teeth, staring at her son with wide eyes. "No, unfortunately. I know of every dragon in the Archipelago, but I am not a specialist in wildlife. Especially wolves."

The chief groaned. "That was no wolf, but I guess that's all we can call it for now. Fishlegs?"

Hiccup looked over to his right-hand knowledge master, the husky Viking wading through papers and journals he had gathered from their records room. "Nothing, Hiccup. Nothing in the Book of Dragons or in Bork's papers. There isn't even anything close in Berk's wildlife consensuses. We're facing something completely new."

His words grew fuzzy as Hiccup willed himself to concentrate. They had been up the entire night investigating the wreck. Once the large creature had disappeared, Hiccup turned his attention to searching the ship.

The body they had found was a young man with blondish hair and fair skin, peppered by strange symbolistic tattoos. He had multiple stab wounds across his body, all of varying shape and all leaking blood. He wore a tunic and green coat, carried a curved sword, a simple musket and an encrypted sheet of leather. A soldier.

The one-mast boat carried almost nothing of value, save for a few bits of dried meats and other rations. No crests, no seals, not even a vessel name. Whoever sent him didn't want anyone finding out where he'd come from. Or whoever he was running away from.

"Hiccup?" Valka said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder tenderly.

He snapped back into reality, not even realizing his eyes were closed. "Huh, what?"

His mother smiled. "We should probably get you to bed. You've had a long night."

She was right. It was long past first light and the hall was already beginning to fill with hungry Vikings wanting breakfast.

"But, we have to keep working. Berk isn't safe," he said. He'd never admit it, but his bed had never sounded more inviting.

"Astrid is out on patrol with the A Team, your friends are defending the village, and Fishlegs and I are working hard to get you some leads. You and Toothless need your rest," Valka said sternly.

Hiccup grinned, yawning and rubbing his eyes with the back of his arm. "Is this maternal care I hear?"

She chuckled. "I'm new at this, give me a break. I'm trying."

He nodded, glancing over at Fishlegs. The man nodded confidently. He was currently examining the leather piece they had recovered from the boat. "We'll get 'em, chief."

"Thanks guys. I don't know what I'd do without you. I wouldn't be able to run the village, that's for sure."

He didn't remember much else as he sauntered across town to his house. Everything was blurry as he dragged his feet upstairs, making a B-line to his bed. He shivered when he saw the inviting sheets and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.


End file.
